Health and Ambulance Services Minister Cameron Dick visited Nambour General Hospital today with the Member for Nicklin Peter Wellington to meet staff at the hospital and receive detailed briefings on the construction and importantly the preparations for the commissioning of the Sunshine Coast Public University Hospital.

Mr Dick said Nambour General Hospital will continue to service its immediate catchment area and also continue to play an important role in the overall provision of health care on the Sunshine Coast.

“We have allocated $1.2 million to ensure that the detailed planning required to effectively reconfigure the Nambour General Hospital can be done. This will ensure the best way to make it fit for purpose it for its ongoing role serving the community,” he said.

Mr Dick said Nambour General Hospital would continue to have a major emergency department and elective surgery and medical inpatient capacity.

The emergency department will have paediatric capacity and the hospital will have the capacity to treat high dependency patients, while the hospital will also maintain its current level of 45 mental health beds

“Nambour General Hospital will also develop and deliver a sub-acute rehabilitation service following the opening of the SCPUH. Such a service has not been available at the hospital since 2002,” Mr Dick said.

“This service will start in 2017 and provide the necessary support to people recovering from strokes, major orthopaedic surgery, and a range of other conditions that require specialist rehabilitation services.”

Mr Dick said Nambour General Hospital has been deliberately expanded in the lead up to the opening of the new hospital. Currently as main hospital for the Sunshine Coast, the Nambour General Hospital, has approximately 371 beds. For a period, after the opening of the SCPUH in late 2016, this will be reduced to 129 beds while necessary refurbishment takes place.

However in accordance with Health Service planning requirements, in 2018 Nambour General Hospital will increase to its long term bed number of 248. This will ensure that it has the capacity to continue its role as a major hospital.